Taking Too Long
by DirtyLaundry
Summary: A confession, denial, a mistake and is it too late for Max to fix it? When Alec leaves for good how will Max cope with the it? MA


**Taking Too Long**

It was a stormy night just like the night he had left and with him taken an irreplaceable part of her heart. Although a couple of years ago now, the look on his face the last time she saw him still burned fresh in her mind. She had thought his threats to leave were idle, in the heat of the moment, he wouldn't dare leave Terminal City as it was. The Siege was nearing a perhaps inevitable favourable conclusion but still... Unfortunately she had been wrong. He had kept to his word and left without a trace, which for an X5 wasn't a great feat. Her gut reaction was denial, she'd act like she didn't care. Good riddance. But as soon as it became apparent that he wasn't coming back she began to give into the truth, she dropped her stubbornly put up facade and was gripped by a deep sadness filled with longing, regret and despair. To anyone else she seemed perfectly fine, generally as unaffected as she had always portrayed. Yet at night with her mask removed she cried, trying to rid herself of the ache in her heart that longed for him to return. 

Logan had helped look for him with what resources were available to him but it had always been somewhat half heartedly. Logan had never really had a soft spot for the X5 rogue, perhaps towards the end they had learned to bare each other, but now Logan couldn't help but feel a little glad for his disappearance. He eventually gave up all together, knowing only too well that if an X5 didn't want to be found there was little hope in tracking him down. 

OC and Joshua had been the only ones to see her inner turmoil, their sleep often disturbed by her whimpers. Years had passed, two to be exact and much had changed. Out in the streets of Seattle a mutant was no longer a strange or frightening sight nor unwelcome in many places. Full integration was always going to be a long process but it was getting there. The transgenic populous earned their place in society by working with the ordinaries to try to repair their broken world. Workers unions would often be seen on the rampage fearing the impact of the transition on their members. Things were always handled delicately. Max and Dix represented the new oppressed in state matters and spoke on the behalf and for the welfare of all transgenic kind. 

Max's life did develop strong elements of normalcy. Her and Logan had long since decided to remain friends, she even attempted dating for a time but it didn't stick, perhaps it was doomed from the start as her thoughts would often return to the one that got away. She thought she was fine, that she could forget him, until one day when refurbishing 'fathers' house she found his denim jacket and then the events of her last days with him came flooding back... 

_(flashback)_

__"Oh Alec, they're beautiful," Max smiled taking the bunch of wild flowers from him "What's the occasion?" 

"Does a guy need a reason to give a girl some flowers?" Max eyed him suspiciously before leaving the doorway to put the flowers in a vase. In actual fact it was a chipped jug and she was lucky to get any water in it due to the rationing in Terminal City at least until the third fresh water tank was complete. Alec just scratched the back of his head and followed her in. 

"You're full of surprises, Alec, just when I think I've got you pinned down you go and do something like this." A mischievous smirk appeared across his face. 

"Pin me down, ah Max if only you would." A comment asking for the smack round the head that Max gave him. 

_(end flashback)_

__

How had she not seen it coming, the gestures, the way he stayed by her no matter what she threw his way (usually punches) and yet when it came down to it she was... surprised... 

_(flashback)_

"...Wh..What?" 

"Max, I love you." 

_(end flashback)_

It had bothered her all day, nagging and fussing through her mind leaving her distracted and confused. She was afraid, which she hated, and it was getting to the stage where it was affecting her relationship with Logan, which she hated most of all. She hated how much he was affecting her. As if she had some sort of obligation to him to return his feelings. It was too late to take it all back when she finally realised that the only reason she felt this way was that she did return his feelings. But her stubborn pride and stupid prejudice when it came to him, along with her instinct to run caused her to lose it that day... 

_(flashback_) 

Alec stood at the bar at Crash swirling the scotch in his hand whilst absently drawing circle on the bar's surface with his fingers. That's how Max found him when she burst in seconds later, clearly flustered. Spotting him at the bar she pushed her way through the throng of people to him. She grabbed his shoulder and spun him towards her before shouting. 

"You had no right to tell me you ever had feelings for me!!" Alec was momentarily stunned along with a number of other patrons and the bar keeper, who politely asked Alec to take it out back where it wouldn't disturb his customers. A man who hated to see the public humiliation of his fellow man. 

Alec nodded at him solemnly and dragged a fuming Max into the back room and closed the door. 

"What the hell are you talking about?" Alec growled turning to her. 

"You," Max pointed out poking a slender finger into his ribcage "You and your unrequited feelings for me, do you have any idea how wrong that is?!" There was no signs of hurt on his face disguised by the typical cool , unfeeling mask of a trained killer. His true feelings only betrayed in the torrent that swirled in his eyes. 

"No" He said levelly "Why don't you elaborate for me." 

"You're not even supposed to like me, all we do is argue, we have nothing in common except for our sordid childhood...." 

"I count that as being a hell of a lot we have in common seeing as it totally governs our lives. What the hell do you have in common with Logan? An unhealthy love for pasta?!" 

"Me and Logan are none of your business!!" Max shouted indignantly. 

"Why are you coming down here yelling at me like I'm the virus keeping you apart ?!" Alec pleaded with his eyes trying to rationalise the situation. But Max was beyond rational thought so many feelings were bubbling too close to the surface for her liking, something was going to give. 

"Unless it has slipped your pea sized brain you are the reason this virus bitch is still hanging around, maybe I should have just let your head explode, would have saved us all a lot of trouble." The spite was evident as she spat her words at him. 

"Then why didn't you?" 

"Because, unlike you , I'm not that selfish!" Max hissed at him her blood beginning to boil for the increasingly heated argument. 

"Oh get real, you and your righteous crusades, you're as bad as Logan!" 

"This has nothing to do with Logan!!!" 

"No, you're wrong this has everything to do with Logan." Alec soften slightly "Look I don't understand, I though we were getting on fine, why are you acting like I'm enemy number one again?" 

"Because you're a stupid, disgusting, irresponsible jerk always have been." 

"And that's what you really think of me." Max nodded still glaring" so if I was to leave and never come back, you'd have no problem with that?" His voice was eerily calm but his mask was cracking under the emotional strain . Max scoffed and shook her head no. Alec for an instance looked as if he'd died inside but covered it with the mask he'd learned to perfect. Without another word , his mind secretly set, he turned from her and left. At that moment Max could have sworn a single tear ran down his cheek before the light of the opening door hit his face, and then he was gone. 

_(end flashback)._

__

Max remembered how she'd sat there in that back room long after he'd left, her anger slowly fading to be replaced with remorse and regret. She'd often thought about going after him that night but so often she stopped herself. Whether it was pride or fear. She kept trying to convince herself that it was for the best, at least now he knew where he stood, but then again how could he when even she didn't know where he stood. She had reacted in the only way she knew how by hiding behind angry words and trying to push him back to a safe distance. She had been totally irrational that night and had inadvertently destroyed him so much so that he felt he couldn't stay in Seattle. He'd left, when and where she still didn't know, but two years on she still missed him and felt lost without him. Now all that remained of him was a few personal possessions, memories and the hole in her heart where he'd taken a piece of it the day he left. 

She took his jacket home with her and sometimes slept in it hoping somehow that his vague smell that still lingered would give her comfort. But nothing did, it was her fault he had left, if she hadn't been so stubborn and so deeply buried in denial she may have seen the plane truth in time. 

"I love you, " she whispered to him where ever he was. She prayed to the only god like figure she'd ever believed in, the Blue Lady, that he was safe, well and happy. 

She blew across her hot chocolate as she watched the water stream down the window of her apartment. She hardly noticed the tears dripping down her face. She was alone with her thoughts tonight. Of course her friends had invited her out, OC being particularly insistent, but she hadn't decide whether she wanted to or not yet. The comforting silence of her apartment was broken by the shrill chimes of her cell phone. She sighed leaving the window to go and answer it. 

"Yeah?" she spoke the weariness in her voice ill disguised. There was no answer. On the other side there was nothing but the sound of the rain."Hello?" She listened closely , slowly losing her patience, " Who is this? Hello?!" Then the phone went dead as whoever it was hung up. "Whatever." Max said slamming the phone down in irritation and took a gulp of her hot chocolate managing to burn her tongue in the process, then in rushing over to the sink she accidentally spilt the rest of its content all across the kitchen floor. She looked at it breaking down a little as she did. 

Then her phone rang again. She stopped and eyed it curiously before answering 

"Yeah?" again silence "look what is this? if this is some kind of..." Max trailed off as something below her apartment block caught her eye through the window. Approaching the window with the phone still held to her ear she peered down at a lone figure standing in the rain. She couldn't make out the face as it was covered by a hood but she could see that they were holding a phone to their ear. The figure stood soaked, the hoody providing little protection from the elements. Max's heart beat faster as she neared the window trying to get a better look at the stranger. 

"Is that you ... outside my building?" she almost whispered down the phone keeping her enhanced vision on the figure below. As she spoke he looked up sharply. She gasped in sudden recognition and when his eyes finally settled on her she heard him speak for the first time in two years merely to say... 

"Yes." 

------------------------------------------------------------ 

Neither of them spoke for the longest moment , they didn't even breath. Then in an instance Max dropped her phone, flung open the door to her apartment and blurred down into the street below, where he stood. She walked out until she too began to be drenched by the torrential rain. He slowly removed his hood and ruffled his wet hair nervously, the anticipation being almost unbearable. 

"Alec?" She spoke softly in a dreamy voice as if she thought she were imagining him "You're wet." she added causing Alec's serious face to crack into a smile. Then he began to laugh and couldn't stop, once he started she too found herself in fits of uncontrollable laughter. It was a total release the tension gone, the years of anguish left behind. 

"Hey Max." he said as the laughter pattered out. The sweet tone of his voice as he said her name was enough to sober her up and an instance she brought him into a warm hug resting her head on his shoulder and closing her eyes she whispered "Thank god, I missed you so much." 

Alec overcome with a similar relief wrapped his arms around her waist and rested a cheek against her head. 

"Max, I'm ...." She silenced him with a finger and shook her head as she watched his soulful eyes stir. 

"No don't speak." with that her hand guided his face to hers and their lips met in undeniable bliss. Max let all her anguish and longing into the kiss desperate for him to understand, but considering how she had treated him her actions probably made no sense whatsoever. She had no idea why he had come back, she knew only that she would do anything to keep him here with her. For so long Alec had ached for Max, to go back try to make things right or at least better. But he had pride and the night she had sent him away she had hurt him beyond comprehension. He had thought he was doing the right thing, finally leaving with nothing to tie him down and only the wind to follow, but she was never far from his thoughts. He had so often been tempted back once even stopped outside her window to watch her sleep, now was the first time he'd ever tried to let her know, and frankly it was going far better than expected. 

Their slow kiss soon escalated into a passionate one as Alec's hand tangled itself in Max's hair and hers tightened their hold around his neck lightly tugging at the short hair at his nape. Max was the first to break off resting her forehead against his as she tried to steady the thundering rhythms of her heart. Alec lightly stroked her wet face having clearly forgotten that it was still raining. Seeing her shiver slightly from how soaked and cold she was he scooped her up in his arms and carried her inside to her apartment where in her haste she had left the door slightly ajar. She never took her adoring eyes off him for a second. 

"You should change," he said his eyes meeting hers. 

"So should you, you've been out there in it longer than I have." she replied as he set her down on the bed 

"What can I wear? I don't think we are the same bra size." Max giggled. She went to her closet and pulled out a pair of dark jeans, a T-shirt , and from beneath her pillow his denim jacket. Blushing lightly at the look on his face she handed them to him 

"These are yours..." Alec just stared at the pile of clothes in front of him not sure what it meant but thankfully she clarified by leaning in and capturing his lips again. Alec was shaken by a feeling of incredible joy as their lips met. Max ran her hands up and down his chest then under his hoody to remove it. Next to go was his wet and clinging white tee, which proved more of a challenge. Alec pulled her onto his lap and made for the hem of her blacktop when Max's phone rang out from somewhere in the living room. Max laughed up against his lips. 

"Why?" She whined to no one in particular. 

"It's okay, we have all the time in the world" Alec smiled at her. Max's mind flashed back to a time when Logan had said the same thing to her and then she was shot and recaptured and stuck with a virus. They'd danced around each other for a year, such a waist, she wasn't going to dance around issues of love anymore. 

"I love you." Alec couldn't have been happier if only she had said this to him before or if he'd come back sooner maybe they wouldn't have lost so much time. Now he had the chance to make a happily-ever-after for them. The phone continued to ring in the other room Max groaned. "Hold that thought" She said slipping off his lap and over to answer the phone. 

"yeah?" 

"Hey suga, you comin' out or what?" Max glanced back at her room where a wet and partially naked Alec was leaning on the door frame eyeing her up curiously. She felt his eyes on her and shivered unconsciously. 

"I can't something's come up, sorry." 

"Max, you have to stop moping around, come on out with Cindy it'll make ya feel better." Max looked up as Alec was making his way over. 

"Thanks Cindy but I'm not moping, In fact I've never felt happier." 

"Huh?" Cindy was confused, she hadn't failed to notice the livelier tone in her friends voice nor that slight urgency to get off the phone, but she was lost as to why, until Alec took the phone and held it between his ear and Max's and spoke. 

"Hey, OC, sorry but can I borrow Max tonight?" Max surpressed a giggle at the how she imagined the look on her friends face, and hit him for good measure. 

"....Alec?" 

"I'll catch up with you tomorrow. love you" Max said hurriedly before hanging up. There was literally a seconds pause before Max jumped into Alec's waiting arms using her momentum to help them tumble into her room and safely onto the bed, laughing. And it was true she really was happy as she smiled down at him beneath her on the bed. Alec was ecstatic, his eyes alive and bright looking at her as if he'd just found the only other person alive on the planet, and she loved it. 

"You're amazing," Alec breathed, "Listen we don't have to do..." 

"Just shut up and kiss me." 

"yes ma'am!" 

A/N: let me know what you think. It's my first go so don't be too mean. ;)


End file.
